Biståndet

Biståndet is the term used in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish to refer to official development assistance, the resources provided by governments, often with support from international organizations, to promote economic development and relieve humanitarian crises in other countries. The aim is to reduce poverty, improve health and education, strengthen institutions, and support disaster response. Official development assistance is typically delivered as grants or concessional loans and is distinguished from military aid or trade initiatives. Biståndet is guided by national policies and international commitments and is measured and reported by donors and international bodies.

Actors and instruments: The principal donors are national governments through their foreign-aid agencies, multilateral organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations. Aid is channeled bilaterally, regionally, or through humanitarian operations. Instruments include grants, concessional loans, debt relief, and technical assistance. The OECD's Development Assistance Committee defines and monitors official development assistance (ODA), setting criteria for what counts as bistånd. A growing share is allocated for humanitarian relief alongside longer-term development programs, and outcomes are increasingly sought to be measured in terms of impact and sustainability.

Policy and debate: Biståndet is subject to political choices in both donor and recipient countries, balancing ideals of solidarity with concerns about sovereignty, governance, and effectiveness. Critics point to aid fragmentation, limited impact, and dependency, while supporters emphasize poverty reduction, crisis response, and long-term development. Reforms have emphasized recipient-country ownership, coordination among donors, alignment with national development plans, and results-based financing and monitoring to improve efficiency and accountability.